Chateau Du Mer Beach Resort and Conference Center

These are the reviews from from two of our guests published at the Trip Adviser web site. Visit the Trip Adviser website for additional details.

1.What a peaceful place to spend relaxing time in Marinduque! The cottage is very comfortable, and right on the beach, with a large deck for watching the sunset. The location in Boac (and not too far from Gasan) is well placed for a home base for day trips around Marinduque. But the best part of our stay here was the graciousness of the hosts, David and Macrine. They are warm-hearted, know the island well, and truly made us feel at home. Although we were there to explore the island and relax, the property has a great conference/meeting facility as well. Highly recommended.

2. Nestled against the beach, this cottage on stilts was a great place to spend a week away from all the insanity of urban life. With a spacious deck, two bedrooms, a living room and a full kitchen, my entire family truly enjoyed their stay. The hosts, Dave and Macrine do everything possible to make you feel like family, while still giving you space and privacy. The beach is all of 25 feet away and early morning walks on the beach are what I remember most. My kids were fascinated with the bamboo flooring. A reef is just off shore and filled with beautiful fish to enjoy while snorkeling. I would go back in a minute if I could.

Imelda Marcos of the Philippines

Imelda Marcos was in the news this week. She suffered a minor injury after slipping and falling to the floor at the Batasang Pambansa a few hours before the President’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, which she had to miss because of the accident. In a statement, Marcos’ chief if staff Filadelfo Diaz III said Marcos only suffered a “minor injury.” “The Office of Hon. Congresswoman Imelda Romualdez-Marcos would like to assure the public that the lady solon is in stable condition now after she met a small accident at the House of Representatives.”

Imelda R. Marcos was born on July 2, 1929. She is a Filipino politician and widow of former Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986. She is the first politician elected as member of the Philippine legislature in three geographical locations (Manila, Leyte, Ilocos Norte). In 2010, she was elected to become a member of the House of Representatives to represent Ilocos Norte's second district. She is sometimes referred to as the Steel Butterfly or the Iron Butterfly. She is often remembered for symbols of the extravagance of her husband's political reign, including her collection of 2,700 pairs of shoes. In 2011, Imelda Marcos has declared her net worth to be 932.8 million pesos (US$22 million), parliamentary records show, as she continues to fight the government over her assets more than two decades after her husband’s reign ended. Imelda is the second-richest Philippine politician behind boxing hero and congressman Manny Pacquiao.

Free Movies in the Internet

Do you watch movies, TV dramas, and documentaries in the Internet? I do and I enjoy them as much as watching them in basic or cable television, because my PC Monitor is as big as a my small TV screen ( 30" by 20"). I have a free Hulu.com and You Tube accounts. There are several hundreds of free movies at Hulu and You Tube and at other sites of all genres that can satisfy a movie enthusiast like me. I enjoy watching these in my PC because I could stop any time and watch it any time I want to and I do not bother other members of my household who are watching other programs in our TV. We have three regular TV's in our 3 member household. The popular TV is in our family with the big screen. I have a compilation of the movies I have seen in my blog, http://awardwinningmoviesintheinternet.blogspot.com/ The top ten most viewed movies in this blog are: Ken Park, Fedor Story, Autopsy, The Passion of Christ, Cruising, No Way Out, The Blue Lagoon, Betty Blue, May be..May be Not and the Nuns of Archangel.

I am very satisfied with my YouTube and Hulu accounts viewing movies in my PC. Of course there are several sites that charge from $1.99 to $9.99 for movies both American and Foreign in the Internet. For details visit, http://www.watch-movies-tv.info/movies

Filipino-American Disco Musical in New York City

Here Lies Love-A Disco Musical

I like to share with you a very interesting post about the Asian-American Musical, Here Lies Love in New York City. The musical is based on the life of Imelda Marcos. Fourteen out of the seventeen cast members are Filipino-American actors and actresses. The new musical is taking New York by storm. The Asian American casts are singing and dancing to the electric music of David Byrne and Fatboy Slim.

It tells the story of Filipina First Lady Imelda Marcos and her rise to political stature. It is directed by Alex Timbers. The show has already won an accolade of awards including the Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical. APA actor Jose Llana plays Ferdinand Marcos. He describes the musical as "Fun, Fabulous and Filipino!"

Angry Asian man: Here Lies Love - A New American Musical Experience...: Guest Post by Raymond J. Lee Hey, folks! I'm on vacation, taking a much-needed blog break. Some batteries need recharging. But do not worry.....

Theme Melodies from Eighteen Most Romantic Music

My favorites are numbers #3,4,8 and 18.. Enjoy and here's the list for your reference.
1. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Romeo and Juliet (Fantasy Overture: Love Theme)
2. George Gershwin - Rhapsody In Blue 0:20
3. Sergei Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 18. Tempo di menuetto 1:03
4. Dmitri Shostakovich - Romance from The Gadfly 1:29
5. Edward Elgar - Salut d'Amour 1:59
6. Aram Khachaturian - Spartacus: Adagio of Spartacus & Phrygia 2:27
7. Pietro Mascagni - Cavalleria Rusticana - Intermezzo 3:01
8. Joaquín Rodrigo - Concierto de Aranjuez 3:30
9. Gabriel Fauré - Pavane 3:58
10. Franz Schubert - Ave Maria 4:27
11. Jean-Claude Petit - Jean De Florette 4:54
12. Clément Philibert Léo Delibes - Flower Duet 5:38
13. Jacques Offenbach - Les Contes D'Hoffmann: Barcarolle 6:20
14. Claude Debussy - Clair De Lune 6:58
15. Giuseppe Verdi - La Traviata: Overture 7:25
16. Johann Sebastian Bach - Air on the G string 8:02
17. Giacomo Puccini - O mio babbino caro 8:27
18. Franz Schubert - Serenade 8:54

Philippines Fashion Parade and Extravagance

Photo Credit: Jonathan Asuncion ( Philstar.com). Who are these politicians? I recognized the Reyeses of the Marinduque Dynasty Clan-(bottom left photo) mother and daughter political duo.

Senator Mirriam Santiago is again on the news this Week. This was in connection with the President Aquino's State of the Nation Address(SONA). I agree 100% with Santiago's point of view. There is no need to have a fashion parade of decadence and ostentation. She announced that she will file a resolution prescribing an official uniform for lawmakers attending the President's annual State of the Nation Address.

Santiago, who was not present during the SONA, said her proposal seeks to prevent a repeat of Monday's event where lawmakers "took turns displaying 'bling' clothes and jewelry."

"Our law frowns on conspicuous consumption, which I call 'the obsession to bling,' especially in the midst of acute public want," she tweeted.

The senator cited the Civil Code, Article 25: “Thoughtless extravagance in expenses for pleasure or display during a period of acute public want or emergency may be stopped by order of the courts at the instance of any government or private charitable institution.”

Santiago said that the country is suffering from “acute public want, because of a high unemployment rate of 7.5% and a high underemployment rate of 19.2%.” She added that the country also faces an emergency, because of our territorial disputes with China and Taiwan.

"The highlight of the SONA is the President. It is not like an Oscar event in Hollywood," Santiago added.

The senator failed to attend the SONA, after continuing to suffer from acute chronic fatigue. She is on medical leave from the Senate.

“I watched TV and could not stand it. The SONA event should be a serious time for the Congress to pick up policy directions indicated by the President. It should not be treated as Oscar night in Hollywood, with a red carpet, where peacocks spread their tails and turn around and around, as coached by media in a feeding frenzy,” she said in a statement.

“I was once a clueless participant in those mindless events. Don’t get me wrong. I am very proud of our local fabrics and our local designers, some of whom are world-class. But the SONA event is not the proper venue for their talents,” she added.

Santiago said clothes should merely indicate membership in Congress to separate them from those who are not members.

“The highlight of the SONA is the President. It is not the flashy women. Now the flaky men are even getting into the act. They also parade, sometimes with photogenic arm candy, into the session hall and preen like their female counterparts. Enough!” she said.

Go for it Mirriam! I am with you and I hope majority of the Filipinos will support you!

Joke of the Day

Photo from Fritzliess.com

Gynecologist's Assistant Needed

A young guy goes to the Job Center in Sacramento, Ca., and sees a flyer advertising for a Gynecologist's Assistant. Interested, he wants to learn more. "Can you give me some more details?" he asks the clerk.

The clerk pulls up a file ad says, "The job entails getting ladies ready for the gynecologist. You have to help them out of their underwear, lay them down and carefully wash their private regions, then apply shaving foam and gently shave off any hair, then rub in soothing oils so they're ready for the gynecologist's examination. There's an annual salary of $55 thousand, but you're going to have to go to San Francisco, California. That's about 100 miles from here."

"Oh, is that where the job is?" the young man asks.

"No, sir: that's where the end of the line is right now."

Stolen from: Hale McKay of It Occurred To Me

Filipino Discrimation in the US-An Update

The prejudice against Filipino immigrants in the US and specially in California in the 1920s to 1940s is well documented (1). One of the well-known books, America is in the Heart, documenting the life of the Filipino immigrants at that time period, was written by Carlos Bulosan. Mr Bulosan is my number one literary heroes of that time.

Like many Filipinos during that time, Bulosan left for America in July 1930 at age 17, in the hope of finding salvation from the economic depression of his home. He never again saw his Philippine homeland. No sooner had he arrived in Seattle, was he immediately met with the hostility of racism, forcing him to work in low paying jobs.

He worked as a farm worker, harvesting grapes, asparagus and other kinds of hard labor work in the fields of California. He also worked as a dishwasher with his brother, Lorenzo in the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. He was active in labor politics along the Pacific coast of the United States and edited the 1952 Yearbook for ILWU Local 37, a predominantly Filipino American cannery union based in Seattle.

Mr Bulosan died in 1956. To honor his memory, a Bulusan Memorial Exhibit located in Seattle's International District and in the Eastern Hotel features his literary works and manuscripts. One of his famous books, America is in the Heart based on his autobiography is now made into a Philippine movie, Hanggang Sa Muli.( Until Then)_ Till we Met Again),(Hasta La Vista).

One of the famous quotes from that book is timeless, as follows: "We in America understand the many imperfections of democracy and the malignant disease corroding its very heart. We must be united in the effort to make an America in which our people can find happiness. It is a great wrong that anyone in America, whether he be brown or white, should be illiterate or hungry or miserable."

Discrimination against Filipinos was very blatant during the time of the Manongs and Carlos Bulosan. It appeared that by the 1960s, racial discrimination had disappeared from the minds of the American people. But in 1965, my wife and three children experienced their first discrimination experience in Gladstone, Missouri.

Gladstone is a northern suburb of Kansas City, Missouri with about 99.5% Caucasian population at that time.

The discrimination was not blatant but very subtle. After relocating in Missouri for my first job after my Ph.D. graduation from the University of Illinois, my family and I joined a Country Swim Club just a couple of blocks and a walking distance from our rented residence.

My wife, Macrine, and the kids would swim at the country club twice or three times a week. The first day, they were there, she overheard the conversation from two middle-aged ladies. She heard a comment of the first lady to her friend, "Look we are getting invaded by blacks already". Macrine looked around, but there were no black families around; she and the kids were the only colored (brown) people relaxing and swimming in the pool area. Macrine was bothered by what she heard but did not get upset. She continued watching the kids swimming in the pool.

Suffice to say, I had never experienced an incident of prejudice or a discriminatory remark in my more than 53 years residing and working here in the US (California, Illinois, Missouri and Maryland).

After our second year in the neighborhood, we became more active socially and became well-known to the Gladstone community. I was elected by the members of the club as treasurer for two years. I was handling the payroll of three employees and collecting the membership fees of the 300 members. I was delighted that the club members and Board of Directors trusted me with their finances. I therefore conclude that the cure for discrimination is education and ignorance is the mother of prejudice.

If you are a Filipino-American or a member of a minority and are reading this article, have you ever experienced prejudice or discrimination in your life here in the US? Discrimination may be racial, religious, sexual, financial or your educational status.

(1) Carlos Bulosan, America Is in the Heart, 1946

Can You Suggest Another Caption for this Photo?

I saw this in Facebook the other day. I am tired of reading the never ending saga of the fight for the Pork( source of corruption) in my second home-Marinduque Island. Let us have some fun for today and send me a caption for the above photograph via your comments. Have a Great Day!

Thanks to My Readers in Germany

Two weeks ago, four of my blogs had a spiked of page views. When I checked my stats, the audience came mostly from Germany. The 10 to 20 fold increase in page views lasted for 4 days and it went back to normal ( 300 page views per day) for seven days. Yesterday and today, the unexpected spike in page views occurred in my three blogs and the audience is again from Germany . Is this for real or just a computer glitz? Anyway, I hope this is reality and if so thank you Germany and all of you my German readers. Because of this I decided to do some search about Germany and the following are a few interesting facts about Germany-Europe's largest economy. HERZLICHEN DANK!

Germans are the second largest beer consumers in the world, after the Irish (of course)and beer is officially considered a food in Bavaria.

Historically, Germany was known as the Holy Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Weimar Republic. There are 35 dialects of the German language. German is the official language of 5 countries: Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. It is also spoken in Northern Italy and the French provinces of Alsace and Lorraine.

The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and the world’s tallest cathedral is in Ulm. Berlin has the largest train station in Europe.Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany.German is spoken by more than 100 million people worldwide. There are over 150 castles in Germany. The Christmas tree (Tannenbaum) tradition came from Germany. Herzlichen Dank!

Freiburg is the warmest German city. There are over 60 beer gardens in Munich. Germany has over 400 zoos, the most in the world. There are over 1,000 kinds of sausages in Germany.
Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris. Most taxis in Germany are Mercedes.

There are 102 German Nobel laureates as of 2009. Adidas was founded by the Bavarian, Adolf “Adi”Dassler. His other brother, Rudolf Dassler founded Puma. Famous German composers include Beethoven, Schumann, Bach, Wagner, Strauss, and Handel. Famous philosophers include Nietzsche, Marx, Kant and Hegel. For more fun facts visit the reference below.

Reference: http://confessedtravelholic.com/2011/02/69-fun-facts-about-germany.html

Reasons for Blogging and Tips for Beginners

I was just reading an article by Susan Gunelius ( About.com) on tips for new bloggers. But before I discussed some of her tips, I know there are three main reasons why people blog.

1. You want to inform and be an expert in your field and perhaps earned income via ads in your blog
2. You want to promote a business. By blogging you will attract clients as well as developed social networks
3. You blog just for the fun of it. You want to share your ideas and opinions. In doing so, you improved your writing style and have fun sharing your ideas and joining discussions on topics you like.

I know there are other reasons why people blog. I will be happy if you share your reasons for blogging. For me my reasons are a combination of #2 and #3. I have no expectations to earn a lot of money from ads in my blog and website. At present, I am earning about $10 per month from Google Adsense.

Now let me discuss some of the tips for the beginner blogger:

1. Be yourself. Your blog is an extension of your self, your brand or niche!
2. Be inviting. Joined social networks ( twitter, Face Book etc...) to increase traffic
3. Be risky. Try new things like plug ins or sponsor a contest

Speaking of sponsoring a contest, I have published in my blog, a two-nights free stay at my beach house in Marinduque worth $100, for the first person to comment and guess the setting of the two photographs taken at night in the beach house. So far, I have not received any reply. So, to make it easier for everybody, I change the contest. All you have to do is write an essay in not more than 250 words, why you want to visit Marimduque. Conditions for redeeming the prize remain the same.

Last, but not least,

4. Be persistent. Try to update your blog as often as you could. If you run out of ideas, recycle your old blogs. Remember readers do not read at the end of your blog. It is not a book.

There were several other tips in the Gunelius article. But the above 4, I consider the basic tips, one must practice to be a good blogger for whatever reason.

Please let me know of other reasons why people blog and also if you have other tips for new bloggers that I have not mentioned above.

The Battle for Pork in Marinduque

The continuing saga for the battle of Pork in my second home, the island of Marinduque is again on the news today. I am sort of getting tired of this news, but since Marinduque is my second home, I just can not put it aside and say Bahala Na! Here's the latest news of this historic event in the province of Marinduque.

Dying Wish of a Rich Man from Marinduque

Crucifixion Scene-Moriones Festival, 2012 at the Boac River Park, Marinduque, Philippines

I am tired of reading news about the congressional moro-moro and drama in the fight for Pork in my second home in the Island of Marinduque. Here's a joke for your reading pleasure.

"The rich landowner and businessman from Marinduque ( Mr Mayaman) lay dying in the hospital. For years he had led a good life and shared some of his wealth to the poor and indigents of the province. He motioned for his nurse to come near.

"Yes, Mr, Mayaman?" said the nurse.

"I would really like to see our current representative in Congress and our current Governor before I die," whispered the rich landowner.

"I'll see what I can do, Sir," replied the nurse. The nurse sent the request to the Office of the Governor and Office of the Representative and waited for a response. Soon the word arrived that the Governor and the Representative to Congress, both devoted Christians and Roman Catholics were delighted to visit the dying Mr. Mayaman.

As they went to the hospital, the Governor commented to the Representative, "I don't know why the richest man in the province wants to see us but it will certainly help our images and might even get us some favorable publicity and more votes in the next election."

When they arrived at Mr. Mayaman's room, the dying man took the Governor's hand in his right hand and the Representative's hand in his left. There was silence and a look of serenity on the dying man's face.

Finally the Governor spoke. " Mr Mayaman of all the people you could have chosen, why did you choose us to be with you as you near the end?"

The rich man slowly replied, "I have always tried to pattern my life after our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, since I am a good practicing Catholic."

"Amen," said the Governor.

"Amen," said the Congress Representative.

Mr Mayaman continued, "Jesus died between two thieves. I would like to do the same!"


Personal Note: Do you think this joke applies to most Filipino politicians? Do you know what some of our politicians have been doing with their pork barrel funds for the last decades? If you have not heard of the latest pork barrel scam and you are a Filipino or a Filipino-American you must be living in another planet.( Bato-bato sa langit, kung sino ang matama-an, huag magalit).

Visitor's Location Update

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Il Divo versus Il Volo and Tenor Music

Which group do you like best? I bet if you are a teenager, Il Volo is definitely your choice.
I like both groups equally along with the Canadian Tenors and the first Trio, named the Three Tenors of Pavarotti, Domingo and Carrera.

The Three Tenors

The Canadian Tenors

Masturbation is Murder and Other News This Week

An article in the Philippine News attracted my attention because of its title above. The Philippine Senate is once again discussing the Philippines Republic Act No.10354 before its implementation this week. One of the senators commented that masturbation could be murder on the discussion when is the start of life of the unborn(conception). Others mentioned that only God Knows when life starts in the womb. (http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/07/10/13/pia-some-rh-haters-think-masturbate-murder)

The Reproductive Health bill, commonly known as the RH Bill, passed last year after a long struggle in the Philippine Congress. However, soon after being signed into law, the Supreme Court ordered that its implementation be postponed until after the court could hear arguments regarding its constitutionality. The Philippine Constitution currently includes a provision which “equally protects the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception,” and those who brought the petition before the Supreme Court argue that some of the proposed contraceptive methods are under scrutiny for not being contraceptives, but rather being abortifacients.

While there is general agreement about its provisions on maternal and child health, there is great debate on its mandate that the Philippine government and the private sector will fund and undertake widespread distribution of family planning devices such as condoms, birth control pills, and IUDs, as the government continues to disseminate information on their use through all health care centers.

Passage of the legislation was controversial highly divisive, with experts, academics, religious institutions, and major political figures declaring their support or opposition while it was pending in the legislature. Heated debates and rallies both supporting and opposing the RH Bill took place nationwide. The Supreme Court delayed implementation of the law in March 2013 in response to challenges. The court's status quo ante order expires on July 17, 2013, unless the high court decides to extend it.

Another news that attracted my attention is the Zimmerman Case. The jury found him not guilty after deliberation for over 17 hours. After the verdict was announced, protest by the group against police brutality started last night here in Sacramento and San Francisco. I have been following the trial in CNN the last couple of days. I found the trial riveting and interesting.

The third news this week that attracted my attention was the tragic crash of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco. So far three persons are dead and a few more are in critical conditions in the local hospital. Investigations are almost complete. It appears that the plane did not malfunction and the crash was due to pilot errors. Yesterday, a news release named the four pilots involved which later turn out to be a joke. There were four South Korean names listed, but the two that names that hinted it was a hoax were Sum Ting Wong ( sounds like something wrong) and Wi To Lu.( Way too low). Is this funny or a radial joke?

Over One Million Page Views as of Today

As of today, my 8 blogs showed 1,059,840 page views from over 172 countries. Thank you all for your feedback and comments. I hope you continue reading my blogs and comments. My stats from my 8 are as follows:

1. Marinduque Awaits You- 279,816
2. Life in the United States -275,517
3. Marinduque,Island Paradise-250,816
4. The Intellectual Migrant- 182,237
5. Chateau Du Mer Beach - 132,824
6. Where the Heck is MRQ- 66,884
7. Why Retire in the Phl- 48,436
8. I left My Heart in MRQ- 47,474

TOTAL=1,057,840

Here are the stats for Blog #1 above: Page views by Countries, by Browsers, Operating systems, Referring sites and Key Word searches

Page Views by Countries:

Germany-79,248. United States-72,792, Philippines-68,848, United Kingdom-7,089, Canada-5,121, India- 3,570, Russia-3,247, France-2,289, Australia-2,070, Saudi Arabia-2,029 (only the top ten countries).

Page views by Browsers

Internet Explorer-80,156 (29%), Chrome-79,685 (28%). Firefox-76,624 (27%), Safari-25,259 (8%)
Opera-6,424 (2%), AppleSyndication-5,059 (1%), Mobile Safari-1,622 (<1%), BingPreview-1,329 (<1%), Mobile-744 (<1%), CriOS- 237 (<1%) Page views by Operating Systems

Windows- 216827 (80%), Macintosh-25843 (9%), Linux-18041 (6%), iPhone-2232 (1%). iPad- 2802 (1%), Android-2126 (<1%), BlackBerry-660 (<1%), iPod-591 (<1%), Other Unix- 513 (<1%)and PlayStation Portable-272 (<1%) Referring Sites

www.google.com.ph-262
www.google.com-215
marinduqueawaitsyou.blogspot.com-149
www.filmhill.com-18
www.bing.com-9
www.google.co.in-7
ph.search.yahoo.com-6
search.handycafe.com-4

Search Keywords

penis size-6, belmonte+poltical+dyansty+of+quezon+city-4,coed showers-4, marinduque-4, filipino+women-3, gina reyes election-3, japanese philippines war-3, zarswela-1, alzheimers brain-2, amanpulo palawan-1

Mr Archie Bunker and the Doctor

Time to Laugh! Enjoy and forget about the worries of this complicated and sometimes irrational world!

Just in case you have not heard of Archie Bunker: Archibald "Archie" Bunker is a fictional New Yorker in the 1970s top-rated American television sitcom All in the Family and its spin-off Archie Bunker's Place, played to acclaim by Carroll O'Connor.

Bunker is a veteran of World War II, reactionary, conservative, blue-collar worker, and family man. The Bunker character was first seen by the American public when All in the Family premiered on January 12, 1971. In 1979, the show was retooled and renamed Archie Bunker’s Place, finally going off the air in 1983. Bunker lived at the fictional address of 704 Hauser Street in the borough of Queens in New York City.

My Love and Hate for my Facebook Friends

I enjoyed reading and writing daily in my Facebook page, but sometimes I see pictures, articles and comments that makes me puke and vow to myself to quit FB. A good example of photos, I REALLY do not enjoy are photos of obese children and preteen girls made up to look like young adults and prostitutes. But I do not think I could quit, because I have a mild addiction to FB. I do enjoy interaction with my twelve types of Facebook friends except numbers 11 and 12 as follows:

1. The photographer- this type shares his numerous photographs, sometimes excellent photos but often times boring photographs of himself and others.

2. The Romantic and Religious- this type shares all the romantic, inspiring and religious poems, sayings and articles.

3. The Lover and Exhibitionist- this type share his or her daily love life and activities, including what they are planning for their dating activities and how she felt after their love-making

4. The Gossiper- this type share all the gossips about his or her family as well as his relatives and friends

5. The Stalker-this type stalks and follows the posting of his friends and seldom make comments, but just click the “LIKE” button.

6. The Tagger-this type love tagging almost everybody in his circle of friends

7. The Video Sharer- this type like to share videos from You Tube, Vimeos and other news sources in the Internet

8. The Complainer-This type shares and bents all the aches and pains of her daily life-beats seeing a psychiatrist

9. The Publisher and Writer- this type shares all his/her writings from several writing sites.

10. The Historian-this types loves to share historical events, articles and photographs

11. The Game Player- this type do not talk much, but just play games-at least contributing to FB income. This one kept sending me invitations in spite of my warning that I do not play games in FB.

12. The Dumb and the Immature- this type always make dumb comments, sometimes does not say a word, but just type: he, he, he or ha, ha, ha! He/She thinks its funny, it is not, it tells me you are dumb, childish and an immature person.

Which type do you belong ?. Perhaps you are a combination of several types. I love all of you, except type # 11, since I do not play games in FB as well as type #12.

Have You Seen a St. Elmo's Fire?

When I was a teenager growing up in Iloilo, Philippines, I saw a St Elmo's fire that almost scared me to death. It was rainy season in the Philippines at that time, thus thunderstorm was common. I remember it has rained continuously for more than two days one weekend. I was getting bored being coped inside the house. I decided to walk from our backyard towards the river in the gentle rain with thunder and lightning not far from our house. All of a sudden I saw a blueish light on the top of big banaba tree with a hissing sound. The banaba tree is where the aswang( witches) resides. The light appeared like it was dancing. I ran as fast as I could back to the house.

St Elmo's fire is called Santermo by the locals. The locals believe that the Santermo is a devil incarnate and has to be avoided at all times. The locals also believe it is a soul of the dead trying to communicate with the living. This is one experience I will never forget. So what is St Elmo's fire? Here's some information from Wikipedia.

St. Elmo's fire (also St. Elmo's light) is a weather phenomenon in which luminous plasma is created by a coronal discharge from a sharp or pointed object in a strong electric field in the atmosphere (such as those generated by thunderstorms or created by a volcanic eruption).

St. Elmo's fire is named after St. Erasmus of Formiae (also called St. Elmo, one of the two Italian names for St. Erasmus, the other being St. Erasmo), the patron saint of sailors. The phenomenon sometimes appeared on ships at sea during thunderstorms and was regarded by sailors with religious awe for its glowing ball of light, accounting for the name. Because it is a sign of electricity in the air and interferes with compass readings,[citation needed] some sailors may have regarded it as an omen of bad luck and stormy weather. Other references indicate that sailors may have actually considered St. Elmo's fire as a good omen (as in, a sign of the presence of their guardian saint).

Physically, St. Elmo's fire is a bright blue or violet glow, appearing like fire in some circumstances, from tall, sharply pointed structures such as lightning rods, masts, spires and chimneys, and on aircraft wings. St. Elmo's fire can also appear on leaves, grass, and even at the tips of cattle horns. Often accompanying the glow is a distinct hissing or buzzing sound. It is sometimes confused with ball lightning.

Conditions that can generate St.Elmo's fire are present during thunderstorms, when high voltage differentials are present between clouds and the ground underneath. Air molecules glow owing to the effects of such voltage, producing St. Elmo's fire.

Have you seen a St Elmo's fire? If so, I like to hear from you.

If you have never Failed, you have never Lived

Do you agree that this is one of the best motivational video ever made? Read my post, My Failures Inspired me to Succees!

Have you ever looked back in your past and remembered your failures? Have you realized that without those failures you could not have succeeded? The common saying that you have to fail in order to succeed applies to the following 3 past events in my life.

The first event in my life to support the above statement occurred during my elementary school days. When I did not receive the first honor award (I got 2nd honor award) during my elementary school graduation both my parents and I were very disappointed. My parents even contemplated filing an official complaint to the school superintendent against my teacher and principal for nepotism since the valedictorian was a close relative of the teacher and principal.

However, I convinced my parents not to do it. I told them I would work harder in high school to be number one, to show the teacher and principal they made a mistake in the selection process. The whole four years of high school, I competed with the top five honor students from my elementary school. Needless to say, I graduated valedictorian of our high school class. My classmate who was the valedictorian in my elementary school got the salutatorian award (second place). I was happy and felt vindicated. My teacher in elementary school congratulated me but without looking straight into my eye, when my parents invited her to my high school graduation party at our house.

The second event in my life illustrating the statement "you have to fail in order to succeed" was during my graduation with my Bachelors degree in Chemistry from the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City in 1955. When I missed graduating cum laude (with Honor) by just 0.24 points, I told myself I would pursue my Ph.D. in the United States to show my professor in Differential Calculus who gave me a "4.0" (condition) grade when I received only 69% in the final exam(I missed 1 point to get a C). I took a retest and passed it with flying colors.

In my chemistry class, there were only 15 of us and only one graduated cum laude. That showed how hard it was to graduate with honor in chemistry at that time. That grade of "4" certainly did deflate my ego and self-esteem. Two years later, my self-esteem was redeemed when I passed the National Board Examination for Chemists, taking 3rd place nation-wide.

My four years average including the "4.0" that I got from Differential Calculus was included in the calculation (not my passing grade of 3.0 after a retest the next day) turned out to be 1.99 (not high enough for honor). But if you calculate my four year average with the 3.0 that I got after the retest, my four year average turned out to be 1.74, enough to receive the cum laude (with honor) award.

When I found this out, I was so furious, I wished my calculus professor be run over by a car or misfortunes fall on her every day of her life. When I saw her in the hallway, I gave her a stare of hate (like an arrow that pierced her heart that did not stop bleeding until she died).

But I vowed to the whole world, I will obtain a Doctorate Degree in the United States to show to my Professor in Differential Calculus what she did to my ego. Looking back, I think I should thank her for what she did, because there were numerous times during my first year in Graduate School, that I wanted to quit. But once I remember the incident, it reminded me of the vow I made to myself not to quit at any cost.

The third event in my life illustrating you have to fail in order to succeed was the culmination of my 22 years of experience working for private industries here in US. I lost my first job in industry of my own free will. I wanted to receive a 20% raise in income as well as move to a warmer climate (West Coast of the US).

The second private industry job that I lost was due to the company moving and closing their agricultural research division and also consolidating their research facility in one location to save money. I lost my third job in private industry because the firm wanted to save money and also wanted to get out of the pesticide business.

My fourth job loss was the most heart-breaking episode in my career. I had only one day of notice. After working for the firm for 12 years with good performance, it took management only one day to tell me that they not need me any more, good bye, and to look for another job.

That feeling of anger, loss of ego, shock and envy (for those who were not fired) was indescribable and humiliating. I vowed I would never worked for a private firm again in my life. My determination to work for the Federal Government was achieved when I worked for the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) in the Fall of 1990.

Working for FDA was the best move I have ever made in my career. My 12 years in the FDA was filled with awards, accomplishments and personal growth. Our life in the suburb of Washington, DC was filled with civic involvements, social and cultural activities, humanitarian projects and pleasant memories. The highlight of our stay in the Washington, D.C area was a private tour of the WHITE HOUSE.

Receiving a Christmas card from the White House for four years during the Clinton administration was the ultimate fulfillment of a Filipino student dream. Working for the Federal government was icing on the cake. Had any one of the four private firms not failed me, or had retained me as an employee, I would not have had the courage and incentive to work for Food and Drug Administration.

The above three events in my life showed that you have to fail in order to succeed. How about you? Can you recall a past experience in your life that inspired you to success? I will be delighted to hear from you.

Do You have Any Phobia(s)?

An article about the five most common phobias attracted my attention just recently. They are fear of spiders( arachno), acro ( heights), public places( agna), dogs ( cyano) and snakes( ophidio) phobias. Phobias are any persistent, irrational and excessive fear of a thing or a situation. Psychiatrist claimed this was probably an experience in our childhood years that we have not outgrown.

In my case I have claustro ( confined spaces) and acro ( heights) phobias. How about you?

I have listed a number of phobias that not are not common, but if you are suffering from it, I feel sorry for you. They are: andro ( fear of men), belone ( pins and needles), claustro ( confined spaces), dento ( dentists), eluro ( cats), gamo ( fear of marriage), glosso( speaking in public), gyno ( fear of women), Iatro ( fear of doctors), lilapso ( tornadoes and hurricanes), myso ( dirt and germs), melano ( the color black), necro ( death and dead things),obeso ( gaining weight), philo ( fear of love), tonitro ( thunder),and Xeno ( strangers and foreigners. Last but not least is phobophobia, the fear for all phobias. For the article on the five common phobias visit: http://o5.com/what-are-you-afraid-of-5-common-phobias/

Note: Can you imagine what the world will be if 30% of us suffer from andro or gyno phobias?

I wish I could See You Soon in Menorca

The Island of Menorca or Minorca has always been of interest to me, since I have a FaceBook friend who is a resident of this beautiful island*. In case you have not heard of Menorca, sometimes spelled as Minorca. Minorca or Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Minorca has a population of approximately 94,383

MENORCA · I wish i could see you soon from Menorca on Vimeo.

* I am dedicating this post to Antonio, my friend from Ciutadella, Menorca, Balearic Island, Spain.

United States Pharmacopeia and Me

My involvement with the United States Pharmacopeia(USP)started in 1995 and ended in 2005. In 1995, I was first elected to USP Council of Experts, Standards Division in the Antibiotics and Natural Products Committees. My first term of 5 years ended in 2000, but I was reelected to another five years term in 2000 ending in 2005. As an elected member of the Council of Experts, I was responsible for establishing standards of identity, safety, quality, purity of drug substances and drug products as well as in-vitro and diagnostic products, dietary supplements and related articles used in health care. Just in case you have not heard of USP...

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is the official pharmacopeia of the United States, published dually with the National Formulary as the USP-NF. The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (usually also called the USP) is the nonprofit organization that owns the trademark and copyright to the USP-NF and publishes it every year. Prescription and over–the–counter medicines and other health care products sold in the United States are required to follow the standards in the USP-NF. USP also sets standards for food ingredients and dietary supplements.

My election to the USP Council of Experts was a very selected process. In 1995, there were more than 700 scientist nation-wide from academia, government and private industry who volunteered to serve. USP selection committee narrowed it down to 256 final nominees. Of the 256 final nominees, only 128 were elected.

Election to the Council of Experts ( formerly known as the Committee of Revision) confirms that the person elected is both the national and international expert in the field of election. My field is in Antibiotics and natural products( botanical drugs).

As far as I know I was the first Filipino-American elected to USP since its inception in 1820. Approved drugs and new drugs to be marketed in US must comply with the USP requirements with regards to identity, safety, quality and purity. The USP/NF is used by pharmacists, chemists, physicians, nurses and other health care professionals as well as consumers. I am very proud of my ten years of involvement with USP during my active working years as an Analytical Chemist for four private companies and as a Chemistry Team Leader in FDA for 12 years.

Lastly, the University of the Philippines Chemistry Alumni Newsletter congratulated me on my election to the USP/CE with this note. " We join with your colleagues and your family in congratulating you for this singular honor, which bring prestige to the Philippines as well."

Ten Things that Make America Great this Year

For the last four years, every July 4th, Fortune Magazine makes 100 items that is great in America. In this year list, I could identify with only about 30 items and like only one item ( #10 in my list below). For this reason, I am making my own list ( only ten). Let me know if you can identify with my list and perhaps add more items that you think makes America great this year. Here is my list in no order of importance.

1. Facebook- most popular social site in the world. The stock has stabilized, but I still believe it is not a good long term investment. I use Facebook daily.

2. Blogging- I love blogging and have no intention of quitting now or in the near future. I have reach almost 1 million page views last month

3. Google Adsense- This is its 10th year anniversary. Thanks to Adsense I could afford to buy a hamburger and ice cream every month

4. Twitter- I am beginning to like this site in spite of the word limit, I could use to convey my message

5. The New Firefox Logo- I love this logo. Good work Firefox

6. Windows 8- I do not feel there is a significant improvements from Windows 7. I am enjoying using Windows 7 now and have used it since last year.

7. I-pods- I do not have one and has no intention of buying one this year.

8. Pinterest- I love this site with the numerous pictures and subjects one can pin or repin.

9. http://pu.blish.us and other writing sites( Squidoo, Triond etc.) I enjoy writing for this publish us site since last year. Has posted 423 articles so far including this one.

10. Reality TV- this item is in Fortune list this year: My old Favorite shows: Survivor, Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, the Voice. My new TV shows: Bachelorete, Siberia, So you think you can Dance, America's Got Talent and Big Brother.

For Fortune list, visit the site: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/

Happy July 4th and Time-lapse Photography

Happy July 4th to All Americans around the world. Instead of fireworks and parades, I am offering you these two time-lapse videos of one of my favorite National Park in the US to celebrate the 237th birthday of America. Keep cool if you reside in the West and dry if you reside in the East and South East.

Photo Credit: Frank Cabunoc

Here are two time-lapse photos of Yosemite National Park-stunning, beautiful and magnificent. Agree?



Yosemite is just not a great valley, but a shrine to human foresight, but also the strength of granite, the power of glaciers, the persistence of life, and the tranquility of the High Sierras. First protected in 1864, Yosemite National Park is best known for its waterfalls, but within its nearly 1,200 square miles, you can find deep valleys, grand meadows, ancient giant sequoias, a vast wilderness area, and much more. What is time-lapse photography?

Time-lapse photography is a technique whereby the frequency at which film frames are captured (the frame rate) is much lower than that used to view the sequence. When played at normal speed, time appears to be moving faster and thus lapsing. For example, an image of a scene may be captured once every second, then played back at 30 frames per second. The result is an apparent 30-times speed increase. Time-lapse photography can be considered the opposite of high speed photography or slow motion.

Time for Some Music for Relaxation

Chemical Castration for Sexual Offenders

The subject of sex offenders attracted my attention recently, when my neighbor informed me that within a ten miles radius of our residential area resides 25 registered sexual offenders. I did not believed him so I checked it in the Internet and my neighbor was right. These facts concerned me even though I have no teenager living with us. But the chance these offenders reoffend is great unless some form of restraint or punishment such as chemical castration is employed.

Are you in favor of chemical castration for Sexual Offenders? Is it ethical or morally correct? Is this form of punishment cruel and unusual? I feel this is an appropriate and effective punishment for repeat offenders. Do you agree? Here's some information on chemical castration as punishment for sexual offenders.

The first use of chemical castration occurred in 1944, when diethylstilbestrol was used with the purpose of lowering men's testosterone. Chemical castration is often seen as an easier alternative to life imprisonment or the death penalty, allowing the release of sex offenders while reducing or eliminating the chance that they reoffend.

In 1966, John Money prescribed medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA, the base ingredient now used in Depo Provera) as a treatment for a patient dealing with pedophilic urges, becoming the first American to employ chemical castration. Since then, the drug has become a mainstay of chemical castration in America. Despite its long history and established use, the drug has never been approved by the FDA for use as a treatment for sexual offenders.

In 1996, California was the first state to introduce legislation including compulsory chemical castration. The law states that sex offenders convicted of an offense against a child under the age of 13 may be treated with Depo Provera when on parole. If it is their second offense, they may not have the option to reject the treatment. This a good law in my opinion.

Florida followed suit with a similar statue in 1997 and at least seven other states – Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Oregon, Texas, and Wisconsin – have experimented with chemical castration.

Depo Provera contains synthetic progesterone, a female sex hormone used to prevent pregnancy in women. The drug works in chemical castration by diminishing testosterone levels, leading to a decrease in sex drive and aggressive behaviors. The drug seems to have had some impressive results where it’s been used. Recidivism rates are notoriously high for sex offenders, and one study found that rates dropped from 80% recidivism for the untreated study participants to 2.4% for surgically (not chemically) castrated participants.

Treatment with serotonin inhibitors has shown some efficacy in reducing compulsive sexual behaviors, notably in diminishing unwanted or undesirable fantasies, though this is more of a pharmacological chemical augmentation than an actual castration.

The anti androgen drug cyproterone acetate is used in chemical castration in Europe. Computer scientist Alan Turing underwent chemical castration to avoid imprisonment in 1952. Turing wasn’t a sex offender; he was gay, and at the time homosexuality was illegal in Great Britain, thought of as a mental disease that could be “cured.” Turing died two years later of cyanide poisoning, which was apparently suicide.

The gay New Zealand man at the center of the Australian controversy was prescribed CPA after coming out to his church’s minister, who suggested he go on the medication to free him of the temptations of his sexuality.
Reference: http://motherboard.vice.com/blog/future-sex-should-sex-offenders-be-chemically-castrated# and Wikipedia

Heat Wave in California Until Wednesday

Is this heat wave the result of global warming? I bet it is.. Time for us as individuals think, how we can help reduced global warming.

The West Of the USA has replaced Manila as the Gates of Hell( Brown's Inferno) just last week and this coming two days.